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V is for Victory!
JUNE 2010
to an
SINDA connections gets a makeover more stories more updates on our community
Event
J
Glance s at a
2010
20 March Student leaders and young professionals at a dialogue session with Minister Tharman on the Economic Strategies Committees Report
20 March visit SINDA beneficiaries and volunteers Resorts World Sentosa
ril y - Ap anuar
23 January JC Pathways workshop for students to learn more about and plan their academic path to junior colleges and subsequently universities
6 February Youth Empowerment Programme beneficiaries visit Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin
17 April IT workshop for adults and senior citizens in i-Clickz Club at NorthEast Tampines West IT Centre
24 March Volunteer Circle for volunteers to share experiences and provide feedback
29 April Members of the online Yahoo! group Indians-sg visit SINDA to learn more about our programmes and services
contents
01 Events at a Glance 02 Letter from the CEO 03 Maximising Educational Opportunities for All 07 Nurturing More Enlightened Families 09 Strengthening Partnerships, Community Engagement and Outreach 11 Special Feature 13 Celebrity Tips with Vadi PVSS
Errata
The following error was made in the February 2010 issue of SINDA connections. The editors of SINDA connections apologise for the mistake. Angel Vaishilee d/o Balakrishnan was reported as having scored 20 points for her O level examinations. Her actual score is 11 points. Angel is currently pursuing a Diploma in Accountancy and Finance at Nanyang Polytechnic. The course only accepts students with high aggregate scores for their O level examinations.
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matter how frustrating it becomes. Responsible parenting entails commitment of the parents till the child finishes the educational journey and starts a career. My appeal to parents is this. Set higher standards, do not choose softer options, do not pander to your childrens excuses for not putting in the daily hours of studying. Focus on what the children should predominantly do during their free time such as homework, revision and relevant practice. Work out a timetable, switch off the TV when children are studying, make them go to sleep on time, wake them up at a decent time during weekends and stop watching too many movies. Do not discourage them, praise them when they achieve, encourage them when they are trying harder, send them to extra classes at school, attend parent-teacher meetings, go for school functions when invited and finally, be there for them when they need you. T Raja Segar
Editorial Team
Advisor | Mr T Raja Segar, CEO, SINDA Writers | Orbital Group Editors | Corporate Communications Team, SINDA Printer | Stamford Press PTE LTD
Special Thanks
SINDA would like to thank all contributors to the SINDA CPF Fund. Your contributions are the key driving force behind the work that SINDA does.
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ard of INDA Bo ntre irman, S STEP Ce and Cha g Primary r Finance lands Rin inister fo am, M to Wood mugaratn g a visit an Shan ent durin Mr Tharm racts with a stud inte Trustees, h 2010. n 5 Marc o
Flexible choice of subjects choose the subjects in which you need the most assistance
Y. Asaithamby, a STEP tutor since 1992, finds his role as a tutor very fulfilling. Currently, he is tutoring at the Marsiling Primary STEP Centre. Sometimes, it is a challenge to get students to pay attention at tuition after a long day at school. However, Asaithamby who teaches English, Maths and Science, knows how to keep his students hooked. Humour is the secret, he says. Asaithamby enjoys using humour to help his students relax so that they are more comfortable in asking questions. His fun and lighthearted teaching style has helped
Mass seminars for PSLE and GCE O level students Semester 2 of STEP classes will be starting on 28 June 2010! Register at any one of the 21 STEP centres located islandwide or online by logging on to www.sinda.org.sg! For more information, call us at 1800 295 4554.
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My parents are really glad that I enrolled in the Project Teach programme. Thanks to the programme and dedicated teachers like Mrs Chandran, my grades have improved greatly! added Imran. Faizal and Imran, both currently studying in Secondary 2 at Bendemeer Secondary School, credit their good performance at PSLE to Mrs Chandran and the moral support from their families. Till today, they remain in touch with Mrs Chandran, who provides them with constant encouragement and motivation.
My parents are really glad that I enrolled in the Project Teach programme. Thanks to the programme and dedicated teachers like Mrs Chandran, my grades have improved greatly!
Mohd Imran, Ex-Project Teach student
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Mrs Chandran with Mohd Imran (left) and Mohd Faizal (right)
Mrs Saraswathi Chandran has been involved in Project Teach since the early days of the programme. She has taught in Bendemeer, First Toa Payoh, Greenwood and Stamford Primary Project Teach schools since 2003 and has positively impacted many students like Imran and Faizal.
1 Practise,
practise,practise. Practice does make perfect! Think of it like keeping yourself fit. You need to do Maths problems regularly to train your mind just like you need to exercise regularly to stay healthy.
Dont refer back to the textbook immediately. Read through formulas and methods from your textbook but dont refer back when you work on a bunch of questions. This gives you a chance to recognise how much you really know.
Be honest with yourself. When you grade yourself at the end of each exercise, be honest about your mistakes. If youre with your study-buddy, get him or her to help you grade your answers.
Dont give up when you make a mistake. Select at least two other Maths problems that are similar to the ones youve gotten wrong. The goal of studying for Maths is to try to get all your answers 100% correct. Dont give up!
Source: eHow.com
Maths Mischief! Student: What is seven Q plus three Q? Teacher: Ten Q. Student: Youre Welcome!
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Small class sizes with a tutor to pupil ratio of 1: 7 Special emphasis on motivating students to perform better Intensive engagement of parents
ictory! is for v
Senior Victory helps students triumph.
Coming Out of His Shell Before joining Senior Victory, Nelson, aged 15, found it difficult to interact with his group mates during a project. It was hard for me to communicate because I didnt really know how to get along with many people, explains Nelson. However, joining the programme gave him the opportunity to engage in team-building activities which improved his communication skills. Nelson now enjoys working on team projects and finds it easy to make friends with many students in his school. A New Outlook on Life At first, Nathish was reluctant to join Senior Victory because he was not sure of what to expect. When he found out that the activities were targeted at helping students build life skills and set goals, Nathish became open to the experience. The activities they conducted made me realise how certain things happen in life. For example, there are games that show you how miscommunication can hurt someone. Ive also learnt how to respect the feelings of others, he says. When asked about this eye-opening experience, Nathish states, We are taught to see what the important things in life are. Heartening Work Lolita Pillai, the Senior Victory facilitator for both Nelson and Nathish, is one of the hearts of the Senior Victory programme. She challenges students to grow positively and develop their individual identity. What drives her passion is knowing that she has the ability to influence students to make a significant difference to their lives. As we interact with them, we help them process life experiences so they can grow emotionally and gain the inner strength to stand on their own.
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Well-trained and paid facilitators guide students through planned and structured activities that help them redirect their focus toward education The programmes are conducted in two hour sessions, every week, for a period of 8, 16 or 24 weeks depending on the schools Facilitators regularly update parents with their childrens progress and address any concerns that the parents may have
Inspiring In Conversation
Conversation Series (ICS) held on 10 March 2010. More than 50 students from Millenia Institute, Jurong Junior College and Pioneer Junior College were entertained and inspired by the talk about the profitable yet demanding industry of advertising. Many expressed interest for similar future events. Durga from Millenia Institute remarked, Getting to know about the journey of the speaker in advertising was very motivational.
Fancy an advertising campaign in which car decals were designed to resemble bird droppings? This is just one example that illustrates the creativity needed to reach out to and get the attention of your desired target audience in todays world that is flooded with advertising messages. This was just one of many tips shared by Palani Pillai, CEO of Crush Advertising and a wellknown figure in the advertising field at the SINDA Youth Clubs In
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ruar y The SINDA-ITE road show held on 26 Feb revealed the secrets to success in studies.
About 300 students from all ITE colleges located islandwide attended SINDAs second ITE Road Show titled Secrets to Success on 26 February 2010 at the sprawling ITE College East campus. Popular artiste from Vasantham, Vadi PVSS, hosted the show and kept the students engaged throughout. ITE is a world-class organisation delivering excellent vocational education. With facilities that rival most universities around the world, ITE offers a unique opportunity for students to craft a path towards a successful career. However, not all students see their ITE education as a stepping stone to a successful future; there are students who drop out in their first year for various reasons. Thus, the objective of the road show was to convince students that they are at the right place and motivate them to stay on and finish the course even if it is not their chosen field of study. To reinforce these points, three students from past cohorts shared their experiences in ITE and answered questions posed by their juniors - all three of them emphasised that no knowledge they gained was wasted and that they have all moved on to reap the benefits of a quality ITE education. Host Vadi PVSS, motivated the students to focus on their studies through his sharing of anecdotes, personal experiences and motivational videos while Vasantham Star 2009 winner Vickneswaran and Mediacorp artistes Rameshwara Dancers entertained with song and dance numbers.
6 February p for Dollars & Sense Worksho rammes mothers from SINDA prog geting and to learn more about bud managing their finances
13 March Values-Based Parenting W orkshop provided mo thers with tip s on effective paren ting
26 March A parenting talk for parents and motivational workshop for students were held at St Margarets Secondary School
Visits by representatives of external organisations to the SINDA Family Service Centre (FSC) to share best practices
(Bottom Row)
SINDA is doing Narpani (good work) and Narpani is doing its part in Indian development. In a large and practical way, we overlap considerably. This partnership is powerful!
T Raja Segar, CEO, SINDA
The Chairman of Narpani Pearavai, Thirunal Karasu PBM, shares his views about the SINDA-Narpani collaboration.
The Chairman of Narpani Pearavai, Thirunal Karasu PBM, is confident that the SINDA and Narpani Pearavai partnership will serve the Indian community. SINDA has the resources and Narpani Pearavai has the richness and depth of the Indian community, says Thiru. The two organisations are coming together to form one big family. This allows us to better serve the interests of the Indian community. Thiru elaborates on how SINDANarpani continues to explore more ways to help the community, For instance, we hold dialogue sessions to understand what the citizens
Background Information
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Narpani Pearavai and SINDA in 2009 to primarily work in partnership to address the continuous skills training and employment issues faced by the Indian community.
SINDA has the resources and Narpani Pearavai has the richness and depth of the Indian community. This allows us to better serve the interests of the Indian community.
Thirunal Karasu PBM, Chairman, Narpani Pearavai
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About SLOs
SLOs are school teachers appointed by principals to serve as a point of contact between SINDA and the school. Introduced in 2007, the SLO scheme enables SINDA to tap on teachers to educate and create awareness among students and parents on SINDAs programmes and services. Weaker students are identified by SLOs and given the opportunity to participate in programmes which can help them improve. Many students and parents have benefited from the timely intervention provided by SLOs and SINDA.
Ratha Pichai Odayar
Gunavathy Ponniah
Special Thanks We would like to express our sincere thanks to all our SLOs for promoting our programmes and for participating in our activities.
Changes to Come
Reading Centres undergo a revamp.
The Reading Centre Programme is a collaborative venture between SINDA and Peoples Association Indian Activity Executive Committees (IAECs). This year, the programme is moving forward by revamping its operations framework to benefit the students of the Reading Centres. SINDA and IAECs held a networking session on 10 April 2010 to discuss changes
to improve the programmes components. Plans include enhancing training for volunteers and changing the types of resource materials used. SINDA will handle the training of volunteers and provision of resource materials for students while IAECs will handle the registration, recruitment and day-to-day operations of the Reading Centres. IAECs will also ensure 80% Indian students participation in each centre.
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Small group reading session with a volunteer to child ratio of 1: 5 Classes are conducted for one to two hours weekly and run for at least six months Creative and fun methods are employed by volunteers to encourage reading
Special Feature
>>from Page 07
Thanks for the faith in me Appa! You have been telling our friends, relatives and the rest of world that I will not lie... so much so that I started believing that I am not able to lie! Thanks for the mental conditioning, you are a great psyche!
Eldest son who is hosting talk shows and acting in Tamil films
Appa has not been a next door daddy who commands respect and talks with an upper hand. He has always been a friend. He has created the kind of relationship where we could talk about anything under the sky with him.
Youngest daughter who is a graduate teacher
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Spend time with your children How a father spends his time tells his children whats important to him. Kids grow up so quickly. Missed opportunities are forever lost. Take time to listen to their ideas and problems Often the only time a father speaks to his children is when they have done something wrong. Begin talking with your kids when they are very young so that difficult subjects will be easier to handle as they get older. Discipline with love All children need guidance and discipline. Punishment should be set to reasonable limits. Fathers who discipline in a calm and fair manner show love for their children.
The Fatherhood Public Perception Survey 2009 conducted by MCYS in 2009 revealed the following
66%
of Indian fathers almost never or seldom engaged in school-related work or participated in learning activities with their children.
91%
of Indian fathers almost never or seldom volunteered at their childrens school.
23%
of Indian fathers almost never read to or with their children. This is significantly higher compared to the 12% national average.
Interested to know more? For more tips and resources on fatherhood, you can visit www.dadsforlife.sg. Dads for Life is a national movement to inspire and involve fathers to be good influencers in their childrens lives... for LIFE. Also, look out for and participate in parenting talks that SINDA organises in partnership with the Peoples Association Indian Activity Executive Committees at community clubs and SINDA Liaison Officers in schools.
di PVSS and educator Va t with celebrity We cha s and fame. about balancing work, studie
From acting in Calefare on Channel 5 to teaching Economics, what have you been up to these days?
Currently, I am studying Law at Singapore Management University (SMU) and teaching the module Writing for Media part-time at Singapore Polytechnic. I still make time for acting, hosting and writing scripts for local television programmes. Looks like the learning never stops! Give us a killer study tip of yours. (chuckles) Killer study tip? I suggest really listening to everything your teacher says in class. Then revise your work immediately each day. It saves you time. What do you think is the secret to success? It is hard to define successI think I am still on my way there. For me, a strong family background was the key. My father was very enlightened about education and the arts. That gave me the drive to do well in school. The other important point is to have thick skin. We cannot succeed all the time but also, we cannot fail all the time. Whats essential is that we should always learn from our mistakes and move on. You hosted the ITE road show. What were some of the things you shared with the students? I spoke to the audience about time management and balancing their interests such as dance or drama with studies. Also, students should never be afraid to ask for help. Parents play an important part in motivation. Schools and agencies like SINDA can offer study help. The students found your talk very motivational. How did you manage to keep their attention? I felt the ITE roadshow shouldnt be a teaching or
Vadi PVSS, a well-known face in the Indian community, is a popular local artiste who writes and acts in dramas and hosts variety programmes on Vasantham. An all-rounded individual who is a role model for young Indians, Vadi taught in a junior college for several years before deciding to make a career switch. He is currently studying law in SMU.
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oming Upc
SINDA
June Holiday Programmes
14 Events
SINDA Youth Club Launch Project Give Launch SINDA Excellence Awards Ceremony 2010
AUGUST sEPTEMBER
jUNE jULY
Volunteers Tea 2010 Self-Help Groups Joint Tuition Awards Ceremony 2010
About SINDA
Vision To build a strong and vibrant Singaporean Indian community together Mission To build a well-educated, resilient and confident community of Indians that stands together with other communities in contributing to the progress of multiracial Singapore Values Respect, our culture Integrity, our foundation Service, our promise Excellence, our pursuit Board of Trustees & Executive Committee
Patron Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Chairman, Board of Trustees Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam Life Trustees Professor S Jayakumar Mr S Dhanabalan Mr S Chandra Das Mr J Y Pillay Mr Sat Pal Khattar Mr K Shanmugam Dr N Varaprasad Term Trustees Mr Bobby Chin Yoke Choong Mr Ravi Menon Mr Inderjit Singh Mr Haider M Sithawalla Mr V Shankar Mr M Rajaram Mr Hsieh Fu Hua BG(NS) Ravinder Singh Mr R Jayachandran Mr Gautam Banerjee Mr Girija Pande Advisors Dr Vivian Balakrishnan Mr S Iswaran Ms Indranee Rajah Mr Hri Kumar Nair Secretary Mr Shabbir Hassanbhai Treasurer Mr Subramaniam Iyer
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Members - Executive Committee Mr V P Jothi Mr R Rajaram Mr Predeep K Menon Mr Aaron Maniam Mr Naseer Ghani Mr Puvan Ariaratnam Mr P Thirunal Karasu, PBM Members - Resource Panel Dr Sivasankaran Subramaniam Mr Mohamed Abdul Jaleel Ms Sabanitha Shanmugasundram Mr P B Desai Mr Sajen G Aswani Mr Sarjit Singh Dr Joshua V M Kuma Mr K V Rao Ms M Nirmala